GORE-TEX CARE INSTRUCTIONS
GORE-TEX® GARMENT CARE INSTRUCTIONS
WHY SHOULD I WASH MY WET WEATHER PROTECTIVE GEAR?
Our Wet Weather Protective gear is designed to provide exceptional weather protection and breathability. Garments naturally build-up dirt and other surface contaminants such as petroleum, oils and lubricants which can reduce the effectiveness of the textile’s performance and breathability. Routine care and maintenance ensure the optimum performance of your WWP Gear.
Properly washing and drying your WWP Gear helps to remove dirt and other contaminants to increase the garment’s breathability, longevity and revitalizes the Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treatment that is critical to the performance of a GORE-TEX® garment.
WASH
Wash your GORE-TEX® garment in the washing machine in warm (105°F/40°C) water using a permanent press or gentle cycle setting. For best results use a small amount of liquid detergent, preferably a scent-free detergent.Rinse twiceto remove any residual cleaning chemicals.
Try and avoid washing your GORE-TEX® garment with other heavily-soiled clothing. However, you can wash moderate or light soiled garments together.
NOTE: Do not use powder detergents or any products that contain fabric softeners, conditioners, stain removers or bleach as they will affect garment performance and DWR treatment.
BLEACH
Do not use chlorine bleach.
DRY
It only takes 20 minutes of tumble-drying to revitalize the durable water repellent (DWR) finish of a GORE-TEX® garment.
We recommend a gentle cycle with medium heat. Because today’s high-efficiency dryers shut off as soon as the moisture rate inside the dryer reaches a certain level, continue the cycle an additional 20 minutes to reactivate the DWR.
DRY CLEAN
We recommend home laundering. Do not dry clean.
IRON
If unable to tumble dry, iron the dry garment on a gentle setting (warm, no steam) by placing a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron. This will help reactivate the DWR treatment on your garment’s outer fabric.
DURABLE WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT (DWR)
WHAT IS DURABLE WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT (DWR)?
Arrowhead Equipment’s Wet Weather Protective Solutions use GORE-TEX® and have an ultra-thin treatment of DWR, or durable water repellent on the face fabric. This treatment causes water to bead up and roll off the outer layer of the garment, instead of being absorbed or wetting out. DWR is not what keeps you dry in a GORE-TEX® garment. Its benefit is to prevent loss of breathability and performance caused when a garment wets out.
DWR is not permanent. Regular wear and tear, plus exposure to dirt, oils and other impurities diminish the protective DWR treatment. When water no longer beads up on your garment’s outer fabric, you can restore its DWR properties by using a topical spray-pump or a wash-in DWR treatment available at retail outdoor stores. These special treatments help maintain and restore the DWR on the outer shell fabric of the garment so that it remains water and stain repellent.
HOW DO I REACTIVATE THE DWR TREATMENT?
DWR is reactivated after a standard wash & dry cycle. Once the garment is dry, we recommend an extra 20 minutes of tumble-drying to fully revitalize the DWR treatment. DWR is not permanent and if a garment wets out quickly after being reactivated, it’s time to restore it.
HOW DO I RESTORE THE DWR TREATMENT?
When drying the garment no longer revitalizes DWR, it’s time to restore. When the factory-applied DWR treatment needs to be restored, apply a new DWR treatment available as a pump-spray or wash-in product to the garment’s outer fabric. A spray-on DWR is easy to use and more efficient. After washing the garment, shake to remove excess water, close all pockets and hang, preferably in an open area. Spray the new treatment evenly onto the wet face-fabric. Toss garment into a tumble dryer on a medium heat setting for 40 to 50 minutes. Now you can reactivate the DWR until you notice it needs to be restored again. We RecommendGrangers®products.